1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a non-aqueous electrolyte battery provided with a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a non-aqueous electrolyte using an organic solvent, and particularly, is characterized in that a non-aqueous electrolyte battery having a high battery capacity is obtained upon improvement of a positive electrode material used for the positive electrode.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, as one type of advanced batteries featuring high power and high energy density, a non-aqueous electrolyte battery has come into practical use, wherein a non-aqueous electrolyte solution using an organic solvent is employed and discharge/charge is performed by way of transferring lithium ions between a positive electrode and a negative electrode.
In such a non-aqueous electrolyte battery, a lithium-transition metal compound oxide capable of occluding and discharging lithium such as LiCoO2 and the like has been generally used as a positive electrode material for the positive electrode, and a carbon material such as graphite and the like as a negative electrode material for the negative electrode.
In a non-aqueous electrolyte battery as described above, a specific capacity of graphite as the negative electrode material is about 370 Ah/kg. On the other hand, when LiCoO2 is used as the positive electrode material, Li contained in LiCoO2 is not sufficiently discharged, and accordingly, a specific capacity of LiCoO2 is as low as 150 Ah/kg. Energy density of such a non-aqueous electrolyte battery is about 150 Wh/kg.
Recently, however, such a non-aqueous electrolyte battery has come into practical use as an electric current source of a cordless telephone, a personal computer, and the like, and accordingly, it has been desired that a high battery capacity of the above-mentioned non-aqueous electrolyte battery is obtained upon further improvement of energy density thereof.
Further, in recent years, it has been discussed that Fe2O3 and FeS2 are used as the positive electrode material of the non-aqueous electrolyte battery. However, Fe2O3 and FeS2 have been used as a positive electrode material and the like only for a primary battery and a high-temperature battery, that is, have not been utilized effectively in a non-aqueous electrolyte battery provided with a non-aqueous electrolyte using an organic solvent.